Gibson Les Paul Studio

Mine's an alpine white model, gold hardware, ebony fretboard...paid $999.99 new in 12/06. They raised the prices since...same features as everyone else's otherwise. Simple.

First of all - someone before me (who is apparently 16 years old as he has been playing for "8 years since I was 8") wrote that "...it is an insult to this instrument to play anything but Led Zeppelin on it". - Huh? More evidence why you should NEVER listen to what a teenager says. There's more to life - and guitar playing - than Led Zeppelin, kiddo... Anyway, while I'm sure it sounds wonderful copying the Black Dog riff, this guitar can be used to play ANYTHING that ANY LesPaul has EVER been used for. It is every bit as good in sound quality as the MUCH more expensive Standards and Customs. I personally play a sort of laid back jazzy/bluesy style - all fingerstyle a la Mark Knopfler - and mine sounds great. Nice, fat tone - classic Les Paul sound. Simple as that. The neck is a major plus on this guitar...gets great sustain and really feels solid. I play it thru a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI most of the time and get great clean sounds.

I wasn't certain whether I would like the 490R/498T pickups but I think they are fine for my style - they add a little extra power over a "classic PAF" output level which helps for a fingerstyle player like me and I like the 490 in particular for a clean to slightly distorted bluesy sound. I can get a real nice Knopfler "Brothers in Arms" tone from it without tapping the coil like he did - which you CAN do with these pickups, by the way...they have 4 conductor wiring. I play 11-52 gauge strings. Feels like a Strat does with 10's.

The mid range is emphasized in these pickups which some people like and some don't. There is SOME harshness on the highs occasionally --- and I'm not a big fan of the 498T --- but I use the neck mostly anyway, so overall it works for me.

Even if you didn't like the pickups, changing them is easy enough and that shouldn't deter anyone from buying this guitar. I honestly don't know why anyone would want to spend all the extra cash to get a Standard when you can have the same sound for half the price...assuming you don't mind a couple compromises on appearance (no binding). I think the Studio body might be slightly thinner...I know the maple top is thinner than those found on Standards --- but it has no discernible effect on the tone...at least not a $1,000 difference. For the money, these are great Gibsons to have.

Mine was in great shape when I got it... output jack needed some tightening...the tuners aren't the best quality but they keep it in tune pretty well. I had a Standard a while back with Grover tuners and they were slightly better... again, an upgrade in this area would be cheap anyway - but I don't think I will bother. I must say the Ebony fngerboard on this is a real nice feature...nice and dark and smooth...plays real nice. You don't see too many guitars with DARK Rosewood these days - and Ebony gives a little boost to the treble frequencies that offset the extra mids from the pickups and the heavy body. It's a good match. No flaws in the finish...and it's Nitro - another plus.

No issues. It's a guitar - it'll last as long as it's taken care of.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing for years and overall would highly recommend a Studio to anyone looking to have a LesPaul in their collection. I respectfully submit that the Standards and Custom Shop models are NOT WORTH what Gibson charges -- and Gibson has even raised prices more this year. It really is a shame. Brand new Studios now for about $1299.00 - and I think you have to pay EXTRA to get an Alpine White one like mine...another $170.00, I believe. Totally ridiculous. Get a used Studio from any line in the last couple years and it'll sound just as good.

Late 2006 Model. Single Cutaway. Tune-O-Matic and Stop tailpiece. Tuners are rock solid, not sure why some complain about them. Nice fat neck. 3-way switch, 2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs. Comes with Gibson Hardcase and strap (which sucks by the way - buy a Jim Dunlop.
There aren't tonnes of features but I'm giving it 10 as it's got everything you need.

FIRSTLY... Epiphones. They are by fuck all means an alternative to Gibson. I had a Black Beauty on which everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. The 3-way switch broke. Both volume pots died. I ended up ripping the pickguard off on stage Because it kept rattling around. Then the bindinhg started to come off the neck. I chucked it.
The Gibson Les Paul Studio will rip the head off any Epiphone, Tokai, Fender, Jackson, Charvel, Ibanez...... and alot of more expensive Gibsons for that matter. It can play anything (apparently) but I think it's insulting to use it for anything other that Lep Zepellin, Velvet Revolver etc. I use it with a Marshall AVT150 half stack and a Cry baby. Use any more effects than that, and you really are spoiling your sound.

No problems what so ever.

Strap buttons seem to be a bitching point for some. If you use a good strap and jump around like a twat, they are fine. Gig without a backup anyway. If I took a backup it'd probably get stolen.

Don't need a fucking waranty with Gibson.

I've been playing for 8 years since I was 8. I had a Charvel a while ago which sucked. I had the Gibson SG special which was also not particularly impressive. This guitar kills all. Well, maybe not the Slash signature model. Or the Custom. But yeah. If you've got the money - Go for it!

Brand New Alpine White with the gold trim,and ebony fretboard, absolutly awesome looking. Frets, nect and fit and finish are perfect. All I did was lower the action a touch. Plays like a dream. This I got for 999 US dollars and I consider this a steal. I had my eye on this for a while and it was at 1369 for a long time. If yu are thinking of getting a les Paul I would not hesitate on the Studio at this price, I am not sure how much longer it will be at 999.

I also own a American Strat and this is completly differnt sounding. Fat rich tone, especially compliments my Peavey Classic 30 Head with the Classic 212 Cab. Just sounds pure rock and roll. You cannot get a Start to sould like a Les Paul period. For my type of music it is perfect! (classic rock, punk and blues)

All I did was slightly lower the action. The rest of the setup was perfect. Fit and finish was also flawless.

This guitar will last a lifetime. The guitar will get better with age! I put on strap locks to replace the original strap buttons. This guitar is rock solid and can be used without a backup. I give a nine because of the fact I had to put on the strap locks.

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I have been playing for over 25 years.I also own a American Strat. I traded up a Gibson SG to the Les Paul. I am so happy I did. The Alpine White is a limited edition run and it has the ebony fretboard which plays like a dream. The Gibson Les Paul lives up to its name for a top notch musical instrument. I am so happy with my purchase and at 999 dollars it is a steal!

93 model, wine red or 'black cherry' finish, ebony fretboard, med-high frets, gibson delux tuners, chrome hardware, 490R/498T pups, fat 59 style neck, about 4.6KG in weight, 3 piece maple top, 1 piece mahogany back, mahogany neck. no binding or headstock inlay.(essentially a no frills Custom from the 80's, 90's)

i play rock to metal and this guitar is one of the fattest and heaviest sounding les pauls i have played. it has a very full bottom end. the pups sound very nice on clean tone, pretty much your standard les paul tone, and with a cranked valve amp ( marshall JCM800 2203 in this case) it gives that fat thick les paul tone. the pups are not overly hot but give enough, they feedback nicely ( not microphonic) and are faily clear, and clean up nicely when you roll the volume control down to about 2.
depending on your musical requirements, for heavy rock and metal this shits all over my 89 Standard. way fatter and fuller sounding with the 59 neck.

off the shop wall the guitar plays very well. string height is always going to be changed to suit the player anyway. as for the finish and build , the ebony fretboard is flawless, the frets excellent and the finish is excellent. the nitro cellulose started to check (crack) after about 8 years, but not alot, only for about a 1 year period. the input jack plays up but apart from that it always stays in tune with the bone nut.

only ever had a problem with the electronics. input jack cuts in and out, and sometimes the volume pots crackle a bit. these can all be easily replaced. the build and timber work is great.

if you want a les paul that looks good, shop around. if you dont care about body/neck binding and headstock inlays, buy an early to mid 90's les paul studio, with the ebony fretboard, 59 neck, and chrome hardware. these are the best studio models made and sound as good or better than alot of Standards or Customs (compared with the same pups in that is).brand new you would have paid less because it had no binding, as that is the only difference, but now an early mid 90's model will go for the same price as a Standard. they are heavy on the weight scales, and heavy in the sound dept. as well.
i have been playing gibsons or gibson copies for 20 years, and the new studio models are good but nowhere near these 93 models in build and sound qualilty

mine was a late 90s les paul studio lite which had a few cosmetic differences from a regular studio mostly just gold hardware. Black finish

It sounded very much like a les paul should. I'm not sure if it had alnico or ceramic pickups but pretty sure it had alnicos. I had a SG special at the time with dirty finger pickups and the two guitars sounded so similar. I used a vintage vox ac10 top boosted with mullard tubes and ep 2 tube echoplex. Sounded good both clean and distorted. I really like the neck position on the guitar

action was good. Typical fatish, flat gibosn neck. This late 90s studio is the only les paul except for a 70s deluxe and a 56' les paul that I found had decent necks. Of those three I think I would choose a les paul studio for both playability and sound. One thing I didn't care and the reason I do not like les pauls is the weight. Too heavy. That les paul sound is just not worth it to me would rather have a fender or an SG and not have to deal with such a heavy guitar. I think this is part of the reason I didn't hang on to it. Weight and the neck was just a little bit bigger than what I like.

les paul studios are pretty indestructible. I always use peaveys as the most indestructible musical instruments. I would say probably this gibson would hang right with it. Peaveys get 10 on indestructibility I would give the les paul studio a 9

I didn't have it long enough to have problems. I did buy a gibson new back in the 80s want and had to send it in for warranty work. It required a few phone calls. I bought it from Gruhn guitar and they acted like they didn't want to know me. When I got in touch with Gibson they were sort of abupt on the phone and not very specific on things just told me to send it. I got it back in a reasonable amount of time. I don't know how I feel about gibson warranty. The one company I think who has good post purchase service is Rickenbacker I called them about a case one day and the CEO called back and left message on my machine and I called him back. He talked to me about it now that's pretty awesome

9 and a half If I was going to have a les paul it would be this one over a standard, custom or a vintage one because of playability factor. I like guitars that sound good and make it as easy as possible for me. What I don't like about it is the weight and I will never own a les paul again for this reason

2006 model bought new, made in the USA. 490R humbucker neck pickup and 498T bridge pickup. Wine red with gold plated hardware. Don't know what score to give it. It's a Les Paul

I use an ENGL Thunder 50 head and matching 2x12 cab loaded with celestion green backs. I use Ernie Ball 10-46 strings. Our band plays blues, rock and roll and a bit of 60's stuff. You can try guitars in shops or at home but you never REALLY know what its like till you do a few gigs with it. This one is stunning. The sound is rich, full and clear. With the gain set on just 1 and a half it drives the amp really well and sustains forever when on the lead channel. It seems to be warm and creamy and bright all at the same time when playing lead and full and clear for rhythm, and that is with bass mid and treble on half on the amp so there is plenty of room to give it more bottom or top if required. Very versatile. It just sounds really good and makes you want to play and play and play. I have never had a guitar which is so easy to use on gigs. Anyone want to buy a Tubescreamer?

The action was set quite high from the factory and I lowered it a bit and set up the intonation. The strings that were on it were dead, most likely because it had been hanging on the shop wall. Frets are a bit sharp and the nut is not cut all that well. All things which are easy to fix and any guitar is likely to need a bit of adjustment to make it how you like it, but this could have been a little better. Having said all that I am still perfectly happy with it.

I bought this guitar for live playing. There is not much to go wrong with it and I don't expect that it will ever let me down. I would use it without a back up but I always have another with me in case of broken strings or in case I just feel like playing the strat ( I haven't yet). I will most likely put strap locks on when I get around to it but there is nothing wrong with the standard strap buttons. The gold plating started wearing off after just one gig but other than that the hardware is strong. I am pretty hard on guitars so I expect wear and tear. It does not worry me. I have no doubt that it will outlive me, and if its a bit battered by then, it just means that I have had a great time with it.

Not needed yet and I don't expect it will be but you never know.

I have been playing for abou 35 years. If it was lost or stolen I would be straight to the shop for another one. I love everything about it. I compared it with SG's, other more expensive Les Pauls, Tokai Love Rock II (which came a close second) and a fancy Strat, although I wasn't looking for a Strat it gives you a bit of a bench mark to try something that you are used to in the shop. My other guitars are an 18 year old Tokai Strat with GFS vintage pickups and a few other mods (my other main instrument) An American 70's Telecaster and a had built thing which should be fantastic but just isn't in the way that the Les Paul just is. I guess you have to say it is fantastic value as it was 4 or 5 hundred quid cheaper than a Les Paul Standard which didn't sound as good. It is a pleasure to play and it does what it is meant to do VERY well so thats it for me.

Mine is an 1993 Les Paul Studio with an Black finish. By now you'deshould known older Studio's have Ebony fingerboards which look way cooler. Also the body is exact the same as standards. Only thing that differs is other pick-ups and no binding.

Basicly this guitar offers all you need to keep on going in a sober package.

I Also must state I bougth this guitar second hand, and the guitar is still stock execpt for the tuner, which are replaced by Schallers.

I'm playing rock/punk and also toying arround with quite a lot other styles (country/metal/jazz/funk) and at trying out it still sounds good, however there are guitars arround which are more allround, this guitar delivers quite a variety of tones but blasts outs when the drummer of my band kicks in with an rock-beat. As an rock-guitar its an classic, and that's something you'll have to try out yourself.

I use this guitar trough an Mesa Formula Pre -> Peavey Classic Power Amp -> Marshall 1922. The set-up wasn't really expensive but sounds amazing.

I bougth it second hand, so I could give no opinion in this one. I must say its in a really used condition, but I don't mind that since this guitar is almost 14 years old.

When using in a band situation I noticed these things are built like an tank. Most common issue with an Gibson is a head crack, I'm fully aware this COULD happen, but with the electronics and stuff I never experienced serious trouble.

Never dealt with them

Been playing for about 8 years or so. Other guitars I own are an Ibanez SZ320 and a MIK Fender Telecaster. This LP is my main axe at this moment but could change by day.

Final judgement: It's an great piece of artillery, but however I like this guitar a lot, i've already thought about replacing it. Don't get me wrong, early studio's are really amazing guitars, but there are a lot underdogs out there which are at the same or better quality.

Only dislike on this guitar, and basicly on the LP model is that it is an singlecut. The sound is really amazing, and that's the reason I bougth it, but the upper fret acces is terrible. Still, the looks of LP's in general take my breath really away, but quite a lot

If it were stolen, I wouldn't buy it again, but look for a PRS of a Schechter or something. They have simulair specs, but are double cut, a feature I almost demand.

But still, great guitar.

everyone pretty much knows the features on this guitar--I got it in Alpine White w/ gold hardware and ebony fretboard, complete w/ 'white fur-lined' hardshell case--from what i understand, the Alpine White is a 'special/limited' Edition. A gorgeous guitar--I've gotten some compliments already from gigs and rehearsals!!!!

the combination of 498T and 490R p/u's kick-ass!!! I have the same combo in my Gibson Ebony SG Std, it's hands-down the best p'u combos by far!! I run this thru my Randall T2 head into a Marshall 1960A Slant loaded w/ 80-watt Celestions--it sounds really fat and full, w/ a good balance of highs and lows--I can do ZW 'squealies' easily on it,LOL!!! that's why it weights a ton--the inherent sonic properties really shine and justify the heft!!! I play Heavy Alt/Punk, so it completely fits, although I do have my Jazzier/power pop/country side on occasion, which does it well, too!!!

I also play it thru a Behringer V-Amp2 processor into a Marshall Valvestate V65R and a Randall WMAX30 combo--yeah, in stereo--sounds awfully sweet!!!

very well-made guitar--my only niggle was some red wax nearby the edge of the fret board towards the higher register---just a little minor thing that came off easily--other than that, it plays well!!! I just love looking at this thing--almost like a custom--at half the cost, literally!!!

another complaint was the small strap buttons--kinda comical Gibson skrimp on this--oh, well--replaced it w/ Dunlop Straplocks.

so far, as I stated earier, it was put to work ASAP--it has held up beautifully--however, i always gig w/ 2 guitars --my SG, LTD MH 400 and Epi LPC are now my back-ups, LOL!!!!

nothing has happened to it to warrant repair just yet--i'm very confident it'll hold up, based upon previous Gibsons I used to own--not owrried at all!!!

this guitar simply is 'da' bomb'!!!! I love it!! I lusted after the Alpine White Studio for quite awhile--when music 123 and MusiciansFriend were blowing these out, I knew I had to make a move!!!

I was thinking about swapping out the pick-ups for a set of EMG ZW's, but I think I'll hold-off for now--it sounds great as it is!! My only wish is that it came w/ bigger strap buttons--however, it's very minor (in fact, I gigged w/ it before buying the Dunlops LOL!!!)

I've been playing for 29+ yrs--have gone thru many phases (Ibanez, Gibson, Fender, Jackson, Kramer, Hamer, ESP/LTD, Yamaha)

this is like the 5th Gibson i've ever owned [still have my SG]--guess I 'll always be a 'Gibson' guy after all!!!

2006 made in USA ebony with gold.When clean looks stunning. Usual Les Paul features, 2 pickups 2 tone and 2 volume and 3 way switch Moulded hard case ; Gibson logo. In my opinion the Studio looks better than the Custom; the plastic binding etc have dated somewhat. The specs on the electrics appear to be identical to the Custom, but in a more moden looking package.
The Gibson tuners look cheap, with greenish looking plastic knobs,but have caused me no trouble.
Resonably heavy, well balanced hangs perfectly on my shoulder.

Play mostly 60's 70's rock where this guitar suits well. The pickups are quite hot and giving brighter sound than the older 'Pauls which is a little dispointing. Having said that, many variations of sounds are possible. I am still coming to terms with the multiple controls especially with the selector in the middle position and having to operate two volume controls. My main guitar is a 69 strat so yes Ive had a sheltered life!! I went into the music store convinced I needed to buy a SG Gibson but when played side by side the Les Paul Studio is much better and offers many more sound options.
My amp is a JCM 800 50w 2X12 Marshall combo, no effects allowing a very powerful and full sound.

The factory set up was OK; slight alteration with intonation, action, a quick fiddle with the nut and a fret polish was all it needed. There is always going to be some individual adjustments regardless of purchase price. We are all different after all.
The finish was not up to the standard I expected from a premier manufacturer, the black finish is see through on some of the edges, but it wasn't purchased for its looks. Being black is very hard to keep clean, again my choice.
The neck becomes sticky when played especially when the hands begin to sweat, but in time this will improve as the solvents disappear from the laquer. Never polish the back of the neck or it will take ages for the neck to come good.

Very solid and robust guitar, I expect the thin laquer and the gold hardware to quickly wear.
The strap locks are extremely small and must be replaced with strap locks or at worst decent size buttons. Never use an old worn favourite strap without alterations. The peg head looks the weakest link and I suspect if dropped would be easily damaged and/or busted.As would the plastic tuners.
Always store guitar is its case or get a sturdy secure stand. Don't leave leaning against an amp or a wall.
I would have no hesitation gigging without a backup.

Comes with a lifetime warranty in USA, but outside of the US we get SFA.
I hope that I'll never need customer support from Gibson, however I would expect every effort would be made by Allans Music Australia should the need arise.

Been playing for 30 years. As stated above I have a 1969 Fender Stratocaster and 50watt Marshall along with an Ibanez ST50, Ovation and Takamine acoustic/electric and a 15w Marshall practice amp
I would certainly buy another Gibson Les Paul Studio, I'm not sure whether or not it would be black!

black finish , 2005 les paul studio

the sound is the best thing . whatever genre you like , you can guarantee getting a sound that you want - it is the best guitar for sound that i have ever played.

the action was ok at the start but that can be altered at the bridge.apart from that everything was fitted in perfectly.

this is the most reliable guitar i have used so i would definately use it without any backup.the strap buttons are solid and it has never fallen off while playing

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overall rating for the price your paying a definite 10. it may not look the best guitar but definately sounds it.